8/3/2023 0 Comments Crystal serenity san franciscoOur assignment is to pack apples into boxes so they can be delivered to schools and community pantries. I brought my mother here eight years ago and we enjoyed all the usual highlights: cable car rides, clam chowder at Pier 39, browsing Sausalito boutiques.īut this time, Crystal Cruises throws me a curve ball: the option of volunteering at a food bank as part of its “voluntourism” program, a concept that most major cruise and tour operators now offer.Īlthough the Bay Area features some of the richest enclaves in the world, there’s an army of “working poor” and one in four people experience food insecurity. Like so many travellers, I love San Francisco. Then Crystal Cruises throws me a curve ball: the option of volunteering at a food bank as part of its 'voluntourism' program. We can’t believe our luck to see it from a luxury ship on the water. Whatever you call it, the orange bridge’s huge cables, strung curtain-like between two art deco towers, really pop against the intense blue of the afternoon sky. Sailing under the San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is just one highlight of an eight-day cruise down the Californian coast to Mexico. Is it terracotta? Burnt orange? Officially it’s “international orange”, which was chosen to make the monster structure more visible in San Francisco’s famous fog. A debate starts up about the famed bridge’s colour. It’s November and the wind is chilly as we join fellow passengers on the prow of the ship. From the start, there’s a buzz about sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and the much-anticipated event occurs about 24 hours after we board. Santa Barbara, for example, bills itself as the “American Riviera” and many of its historic buildings, like the Old Mission, would be just as at home in Madrid, while its downtown is lined with rows of stout white buildings and red-tiled clay roofs.īut back to day one we pull away from San Pedro Bay, whereupon Serenity makes a sharp right turn to make the 700-kilometre journey north to San Francisco. The Spanish influence pervades everything from the food and wine onshore to the nomenclature of the towns we visit and their architecture. Given the south of California was once a major Spanish colony and later a Mexican territory, the whole region has a Hispanic feel, as does our cruise. But of course, Serenity is not nearly so naff – even if there are gentlemen on board whose only job is to dance with ladies sailing solo. Those who recall American sitcom The Love Boat will recognise this as the same route sailed by the Pacific Princess. We’re on the Pacific Coast Panorama itinerary, which begins in Los Angeles and ends in Mexico. ![]() Our penthouse suite is a larger, more wow, version of the traditional deluxe staterooms, finished with a generous-sized private balcony and spacious bathroom complete with the most decadent shower head imaginable: both in terms of size and settings (my immediate favourite is “rain drops”). Our private butler Frederick assures us the supply will be replenished as often as we like (cue small squeal from me). The day we board in the Port of Los Angeles, about 30 minutes from the city in San Pedro Bay, champagne and chocolates are on the table in our just-renovated Seabreeze Penthouse. But you don’t have to be old hands to realise straight up that Crystal Cruises really “gets” luxury.Ī Seabreeze Penthouse suite on Crystal Serenity. And with five restaurants on board, including one by renowned Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, it would be plain silly to have the same meal twice.Īt this point, full disclosure: we had never been on a cruise before. No two shore excursions were the same, for instance. Of course, there were breaks in the routine. Our private butler Frederick assures us the supply of champagne and chocolates will be replenished as often as we like. Then it was time for a dip in the hot tub on Deck 12 (the Lido) – always perfectly timed to catch sunset – before meeting newly acquired friends for a gin and tonic at 6pm in the Crystal Cove piano bar. Later, at 4pm, chardonnay and canapes were served in our suite. ![]() Here’s a snapshot: mornings involved a quick session at the gym or a few slow-jog laps of the Deck 7 promenade, followed by a leisurely breakfast and some impromptu whale watching. ![]() Yet my overriding memory returns to, well, the simple delights of routine Crystal-style. True, the ports were mostly exotic, the refurbished Serenity was lovely, and the varied cuisine was delicious. But what about when routine becomes wonderful – sumptuous, even?Ī few months back, my partner, Craig, and I sailed on Crystal Serenity for an all-inclusive, eight-night cruise and, oh my goodness, how quickly we embraced routine. The treadmill that gets us through the working week with the minimum of fuss and tears. It’s that mundane but necessary part of life.
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